My status as a Senior (as in over 55) with all the rights and privileges associated with it has been officially recognized today. For today, you see, was the afternoon Phillies vs. Astros game that ended with the Senior Stroll Around the Bases, a most pleasant event that capped a winning game.
It was almost a washout, and would have been if the weather forecasts had come true. Last night and this morning, the much needed rain soaked the city. Even up until 12:00 today it was wet and soggy, not the best outlook for holding the game. Checking on the Phillies site, there was a tweet posted at 9:08 a.m that Amaro, the general manager had called the ballpark to have them take up the infield tarp. Around 12:00 more tweets indicated the game would start as planned. As I walked to catch the subway, the rain cleared away, and it seemed all was going well for a good afternoon of baseball.
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| Janet and Tobie on the field |
Sure enough, the whole afternoon, though cloudy, was rain free. The Phillies scored two runs in the 2nd inning and continued to hold the lead throughout the first 8 innings. In the top of the 9th Janet and I made our way down to the 1st level to wait to start the stroll onto the field which we assumed would start soon. The problem was that the game was far from over. Standing in the long line, we couldn't see the field, but knew something bad had happened when we heard groans and boos. Hunter Pence missed an easy catch, which resulted in an Astro being flagged to home-the tying run. We edged over to watch the game, where an usher let us sit in the100 level section (very nice!). When the Phillies didn't score any runs in the bottom of the ninth, the extra innings battle began.
A pitcher I had not seen, Jake Diekman, was making his Major
League debut as the closer after being called up from the Lehigh minor league team on Friday. The Phillies news page described it this way. "It was a memorable [debut], to say the least, and occurred in a
high-leverage situation. And as a result, he had his first big league
victory" Diekman's long pitching stride has an elegance that caught my attention. Certainly, a pitcher to watch.
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| The stroll begins |
The bottom of the tenth, Hunter Pence at bat. His long left leg is raised in preparation for the powerhouse swing that so electrified us when he first arrived in Philadelphia. He redeemed himself with the winning home run! High fives all around for a 4-3 victory.
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| Trying out for position of second base |
We returned to the line for our chance to stroll onto the field singing 'High Hopes, he's got High Hopes....' Smiles all around.
Dozens of Ballpark folks ushered 1000s of fans down the steps and onto the field, helping everyone take pictures along the way.
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| View of the stands from the field |
As promised, a lovely thrilling stroll from 1st to 2nd to 3rd and home plate. The gentleman in a wheel chair behind us had seen games in all three ballparks. Like me, it was his first time on the field.
Whoever thought this up should get a raise!
